Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1887-08-19
Written and compiled for the HERALD.

| the disorder, of the day. AS the
baseballists have it, the Treasury
and Interior Departments having
had their "innings," it is now the
turn OF the War Department, aHd
1T comes bobbing up-First, with
the vanished $1,000, which an
Army Paymaster permitted a WyO-
ming Territory cowboy to "rob' him
of; it has been decided that the Of
ficer was too careless with this
large sum of money and he has
been relieved from duty till he or
his bondsmen replace the loss !;
Second, with the irregularities
not to use harsher term-in the
Quartermaster Generals Depart
ment the veterinary surgeon was
constrained to resign, because he
had been keeping a private livery
stable at the expense of the Gov
CONTEMPLATING ignorance of
the law as his reason for such rep
rehensible conduct; still, he was
allowed to depart in peace; then
the scandal caused by the army Of
ficers using the teams of the De-
partment for purely private pur-
poses-such as hauling building
materials for their residences and
fertilizers for their gardens, &c.
And, lastly, the disallowance by
the Controller of the Treasury, of
the bills for the purchase Of horses
for the personal use of Mr.. Endi-
colt, the Mugwump Secretary OF
War.
1t may seem cruel in me, but, /
shall also have to ventilate a fraud
that has just como to the surface in
the Department presided over by
the dudIsh Whitney Of Standard
OIL fame; Paymaster George Il.
Watkins, United States Navy, has
been dismissed from the service by
a cOurt-martial for the following
| good and sufficient reasons. lssu-
ing clothes aud supplies to sailors
and mariners and charging the
same as cash of buying coal above
market rates and of certifying false
ly contrary to facts ; charging cash
payments to dead men Of other
similar charges, and of disobedi-
ence OF orders and of desertlOn.
Before being dismissed, the Pay.
master must serve his county three
years in the peniten tiary his clerk
convicted OF forgery and malicious
destruction of public records, was
sentenced to four years IN prison,
and to pay a fine of $1,000; the
| President has RENTED the fine and
reduced the Imprisonment to two
years.
Writing of irregularities re-
minds me of case that excites
much comment in the Interior DE.
partment-that of John b. Riley
Superintendent of Indian Schools,
who, while receiving a salary OF
$4,000 a year, has been absent sey'
eral months at his home in Platts'
burg, n. Y. The only known rea
son for his action, which appears
rather trivial, is that there is a dit
terence of opinion as to the Super
intendents precise authority.
| Mr.. Amos Hadley is the second
Republican chief clerk of the Int
ror Department to resign during
| Cleveland's term and | suppose
some other good Republican VIII
be promoted to the position, as
there seems to be wOful scarcity
of Democratic material suitable fol
such a responsible place. Secre
| tary Lamar is now quietly casting
about for a successor to the vacan
cy, or rather l should say Mr.
! Cleveland is doing so for him, as
the Members of the Cabinet arc
merely clerks themselves, whose
business it is to register the impe
rious will of their Chief.
Mr.. Frederick Douglass has re-
turned from a long and delightful
tour of Europe, and he is full Of
interesting "reminiscences OF the trip
He was every where well received
and Hospitality entertained. "No
where, Mr.. Douglass said, by a
single word, look, or gesture was
disapproval expressed of my color
or the kinks in my hair, and have
had a most pleasant and agreeable
time during my stay abroad"
The shameful story of naval sur.
: geOn Crawford and his fair and
youthful victim has been told in
the city Police Court and aroused
general indignation against the
principal who is known as "the
mash of the Naval Hospital,
though no decision is yet reached.
During the progress of the trial
there has been outrageous crimina-
ton and re.criminatiOn between the
Judge aud the counsel on both
sides; the Judge was charged in
open court, with pre,judglng the
case, and there came near being a
challenge to mortal combat by the
United States District Attorney
and opposing counsel.
Shall a Change Occur ?
Mr.. Barbour expresses great feaI
that Republican success in Virginia